Teat cup liner for milking machines



Nov. 6, 1951 F. E. RlcHwlNE 2,574,063

TEAT CUP LINER FOR MILKING MACHINES Filed oct. 7, 1949 Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE TEAT CUP LINER FOR MILKING MACHINES Francis E. Richwine, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application October 7, 1949, Serial No. 120,169

1 Claim. (Cl. 11B-44.49)

uniformity in its operation and, being less porous,

may be easier maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a teat cup liner, preferably formed of synthetic rubber and which will maintain its shape for a longer period than liners formed of other elastic materials.

When a cows udder is Washed with Water at a temperature of approximately 130 Fahrenheit an internal secretion is produced which expands and opens the tiny milk cells in the udder, the interior of which is similar in function to a sponge and which immediately produces milk. As this internal secretion or hormone lasts for only a few minutes, it is essential that the cow be inilked promptly and rapidly to obtain the maximum milk production. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a liner of sufficient strength to draw the milk from the upper part of the cows udder, not reached by the suction of conventional liners and while employing the same suction as is conventionally provided by milking machines, to thereby not only obtain a greater milk production but to secure delivery of the milk which is in the upper part of the udder and which contains a larger percentage of butterfat and to thereby milk the cow cleaner or more completely While the internal secretion or hormone is functioning and to draw the milk from the udder as it is fed down, which is not accomplished by conventional liners.

Another object of the invention is to provide a liner which through obtaining a faster and more complete milking operation minimizes stripping and prevents mastitis due to the fact that swelling and inflammation is drawn out much more rapidly by the present invention.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved liner which will enable a greater quantity of milk to be obtained in a shorter milking time and with a shorter time required to prepare the udder thereby reducing the amount of labor involved in each milking operation.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, central sectional view showing the liner with the teat cup shell applied thereto; l

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the liner, with the shell removed;

Figure 3 is a side elevational View on a reduced scale showing the liner with the shell applied, and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view through the upper portion of the liner taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4 4 of Figure l. l

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the

` teat cup liner, comprising the invention is designatedl generally 5 and is of integral construction throughout, preferably being formed of synthetic rubber'because such material possesses sufcient elasticity to accomplish the intended purpose of the liner and is less porous and will maintain its elasticity for a longer period than natural rubber.

The liner 5 includes a head portion, designated generally 6 including an outer, substantially cylindrical portion 1, preferably of approximately one-eighth inch thickness and having a diameter of approximately ,one and seven-eighths inches and a length slightly in excess of one inch. The cylindrical wall, at its upper end, has an inwardly and downwardly extending integral annular flange 8 defining an opening in the topr of said head, designated 9, which is approximately one inch in diameter and which is surrounded by the annular dish-shaped ange 8. The head 6 also includes an integral internal annular downwardly tapered portion ID which extends inwardly and downwardly from the cylindrical wall portion 1 and the upper, enlarged endvof which is preferably disposed slightly beneath a point intermediate of the upper and lower ends of said cylindrical wall 1. The lower, restricted end of said downwardly tapered or frusto-conical portion l0 terminates at approximately the level of the bottom edge of the cylindrical wall 1 and at its lower end has an internal diameter of approximately one and one-sixteenth inches.

The liner 5 also includes an elongated substantially cylindrical portion il which is internally and externally tapered from its upper to its lower end and the upper end of which merges integrally with the restricted lower end of the frusto-conical portion l0 and accordingly has an internal diameter, preferably of approximately one and one-sixteenth inches. Said tapered portion H defines the teat receiving chamber l2 which tapers in diameter from its upper to its .liner .fincanextended, zstretched position.

lower end and which communicates at its lower end with the upper end of a discharge bore I3 of a greatly reduced diameter. The lower end of the teat receiving chamber I2 is sharply reduced in diameter adjacent to where it opens into the bore I3 by the annularly reduced portion I4 and as the external taper of the teat receiving portion I I is uniform, the thickness of the lower part I5 of the teat receiving portion II is substantially greaterr than the .thicknesslof `the remainder of said portion II and the frusto-conical-portion I0, each of which is preferably of approximately the same thickness as the head 6, so as to possess a relatively high degree of iiexibility and elasticity.

The external taper of the portion I I :continues to below its lower end to provide a relatively thick portion I6, directly beneath the thickened portion I5 and in which the upper end of the discharge bore I3 is formed and which portion Li preferably hasaradialthickness of approximately l3/32nds .ofen inch. Saidzpor-tion .I6 constitutes 4thezupper end of the discharge tube I'I whichforms the lower end-of Tthe liner 5 and anintegral continuation of the teat receiving portion I I. Said portion I6 --is providedwitha plurality, preferably three,annular external enlargements-or ring-s IIS which are formed integral therewith and which are preferablyspaced-approximately a quarteroi -an-inchf apart. lThe discharge bore I3 preferably extends from end-to-end of the-tube I'I and including its externally thickened portionV .i5 and adjacent the; teatreceiving chamber lI2 -is approximately three-eighths of an inch in diameter-and tapers gradually toward its oppositedischarge end I9. lLikewise,.the-externaldiameter of v:thedischarge -tube I1 preferably is ltapered 'slightly andato approximately the same degree-as :thebore I3 .toward its discharge end I9 and is of a--radial thickness substantially greater than :the thickness of the portion II but substantially less thanthethickness of the portionl Ifasclearly illustrated in Figure 1.

The :portion of the-annular wall 1, below the upper `enlarged end of the frusto-conical portion Ili, constituting an annular apron 2li, combines ,with saidtrusto-conical portion II! to formI an external downwardly opening annular channel or groove r2I VVthe inner-wallof which is disposed in downwardlyand :inwardly converging relationship -to itsouter wall, as clearly illustrated inFigu-re 1.

,71A vteatcupshell'22 -which may be 'for-med tof anysuitable,substantially rigid material such as metal lis-adapted to be'detachably mounted on the-linerfv for retaining .the upper-portion of said The shell-.2-2vis in the form of a sleevewhich is ta- ,pered from itsupper toits lower end and which terminatesat its lower, restricted end in an inturnedannular restricted portion 23. The shell 2-2 visremovablyapplied to the. liner 5 over the lowerdischarge end I'I thereof and the-enlarged 7upper-fendllrof said shell is of a proper diameter to rit into the downwardly opening groove 2I and abuts against `the restricted bed portion of said groove, asseen in Figure l and bears against the apron 20. AThe headf, directly above the bed of `the groove 2| is radially thickened, as seen at 25 due to the fact that `the downwardly tapered annular wall 'I'II extends from said portion of the cylindrical-wall? so that the thickened head por- -tion 'reinforces the -headwhere itis engaged by theuppergenlarged end of the shell 22. The

opening'dened by Athelowerinturned restricted v fdistance between the vbednof` 'the groove 2I and the f lower enlargement 23, vthe teat receiving portion II will be stretched longitudinally by the :shell 22 and retained thereby under tension and this longitudinal-stretching of the liner portion II by the shell 22 eliminates the necessity of attaching weights-.to the liner or shell, as is a common practice.

Thedischarge end I9 of the tube portion II is .connected in a conventional manner to a milking machine. The teat is inserted into the liner through the opening -9 in the head 6 and' is received i-n the downwardly taperedteatchamber 4I?. ythe'upper; end of which is slightly rlarger in diameterthan said opening Saso that the; liner will be vpreventedv from -moving up onl the teat during the milking operation. -The concaveqor dishedfannular-portion-S of the head 6 is disposed against or adjacent the udder and has a close tting engagement around the teat toeprevent loss'of lsuction inthe chamber I2. The liner 5 is intended to vbe usedwith conventional milking machines wherein a fluctuating suction risgprovided andas a suction -iscreated .in the borer I3 and chamber I2 by the milking` machine, .the longitudinally tensioned relatively thin and elastic Aliner portion f I3 will beV drawn inwardly by this-.suction -to exert a squeezing :and downward-.pulling action on the teat. This inward movement of the-linerportion I I will be relatively tothe shell 22 and will thereby .increase the size of the closed chamber 26 betweenthe-shelland liner'and' which-is sealed at its ends by the head Gand liner yportion 4.I E so that` as-theY liner portion I I isdrawn inwardly the chamber 26 willbe-enlar-ged. andra vacuum created therein. lAs. Aa result, when the suction from lthe machine momentarily is diminished or eliminated the vacuum in the chamber '2B vwill cause the portion II Ato .expand back tol its normal position lofF-iguref l for releasing the pressure on the Vteat as in :a hand -milking operation.

ylilo-have the liner .properly tensioned Vby .the shell, .theshell 22 `is made 5%, inches in length while the liner 5 between the bed of the groove 2-I and the .lower enlargement I8 Cis 41A; inches lin length. The additional enlargements I8, which are'spacedlapproximately one-quarter of. an inch apart, are provided so that afterthe upper portion of` :the liner 5 has lost some .of its elasticity ythrough being held Aunder tensionby -the shell .22, the liner'portion I@ may be drawn 4downwardly through the lower end 23 of the shellhto cause said lower end to engage eitherthe intermediate or upperenlargement I8 -for maintainingr the liner portion I I under proper tension.

@Various ymodifications and lchanges ar-e contemplated and may obviously be resorted toywithvout departing from the spirit or scope-of the invention as :hereinafter defined bythe appended claim.

I claim as'my invention:

l. lA teat cup liner comprising an enlarged lhead deiining fthe upper end thereof including a cylindricalwall having an inturned annular ange at its upper end forming'afcentral teat :receiving opening, a frusto-conical portion, forming a part of said head and extending inwardly and downwardly from the intermediate portion of said cylindrical wall and terminating in radial alignment with the lower end of the cylindrical wall, said head and fnusto-conical portion combining to form an annular downwardly opening groove, a rigid sleeve-like teat cup shell having an upper end engaging in said groove, a sleeve-like teat receiving portion of uniform thickness having an upper end merging integrally with the lower, restricted end of said frusto-conical portion and dening a teat receiving chamber extending longitudinally through the shell and which is spaced therefrom, said teat receiving portion being uniformly tapered internally and externally from its upper to its lower end, a discharge tube having an upper end formed integrally with the lower end of said sleeve-like teat receiving portion and having a restricted bore extending longitudinally therethrough and opening at its inner end into the restricted end of the teat receiving chamber, and said discharge tube being externally enlarged at its upper end to provide an uninterrupted continuation of the exterior surface of the teat receiving portion and being provided with longitudinally spaced external enlargements adapted to selectively abut the restricted opposite end of the teat cup shell for combining with said annular groove for anchoring and sealing the liner to the shell for maintaining the teat receiving portion thereof under tension and for providing a sealed space between the shell and teat receiving portion.

FRANCIS E. RICHWINE'.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED `STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,690,327 Dinesen Nov. 6, 1928 1,839,765 Knox Jan. 5, 1932 1,955,810 Hodson Apr. 24, 1934 2,300,833 Scott Nov. 3, 1942 2,340,295 Bender Feb. 1, 1944 2,484,696 Dinesen Oct. 11, 1949 2,502,956 Jansson Apr. 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 285,233 Great Britain Feb. 16, 1928 Denmark Sept. 29, 1941 

